How to Make Strawberry Rhubarb Ice Cream With Ninja® CREAMi.

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This refreshing, tangy strawberry rhubarb ice cream is a delicious treat. Made with the Ninja® CREAMi churn, it is ultra smooth and creamy. Fresh strawberries and frozen rhubarb combine to create a delightful new flavor to enjoy on a hot summer day.

Making ice cream has never been easier with the Ninja® CREAMi Ice Cream Deluxe model. You blend the ingredients in the recipe and freeze them in a small pint container with the machine. After 24 hours of freezing, remove and churn with the ice cream setting. It’s so simple it’s sinful. Because now you have zero excuse not to eat ice cream and sorbets daily. 

As the season is approaching, I wanted to make something with rhubarb. Just rhubarb ice cream would be ridiculously tart, so why not make the classic flavor combination of strawberry rhubarb? After all, classics are classics for a good reason. 

If you love ice cream, check out other great flavors, like our pistachio halva ice cream

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Why You Will Love This  Strawberry Rhubarb Ice Cream Recipe. 

You can use any ice cream churn. Although this Ninja® CREAMi strawberry rhubarb ice cream may have been developed for the deluxe machine, the churning setting on your machine will work to blend this flavorful summer recipe. 

It’s healthier. Because we use fresh fruit and dairy in this recipe, you know you are getting at least natural ingredients. Store-bought ice creams often use strange ingredients and preservatives, which, although tasty, are not so good for you. 

​It’s customizable. You can make this entirely strawberry ice cream using strawberries or another berry with the strawberries to create a wholly new flavor profile. 

Let’s start to make this decadent ice cream.

One of the biggest complaints you will see in the Ninja Creami Group on Facebook is that after churning once, ice cream still needs to be smoother, not smooth. This can be solved by churning it again. This recipe does require two turns to make it ultra smooth. Just be aware that each time you churn the ice cream, the friction is causing some melting. That melting is needed to blend it to achieve that smoothness, but it can get overdone in some ice cream recipes. If the ice cream is melting too much after the second churn, you can put it back in to freeze for an hour or so. 

Another aspect I have discovered with the crumbly nature of some of the ice cream recipes is that it can be overcome with a heated ice cream scoop. The reason it’s crumbly is that it didn’t heat enough during the churning process, so it’s a little like dry snow. As any good Canadian knows from growing up, packing things like snow and ice cream results in nice, firm, smooth balls. Since you will likely serve this ice cream in a dish or cone, it’s easily scooped and packed together if you run the scoop under hot water. 

Now that we’ve established quick-fix ideas for possible issues let’s start making this sweet treat. It’s a simple step-by-step process. I used my Ninja®, and yes, I am a Ninja believer. I used a blender to blend the fruits. You can mash them well or even stew them and then cool them down. The smaller the fruit becomes, the easier it is for its flavor to be imparted into the heavy cream. 

​If you use your blender or food processor, add the fruit, corn syrup, and lemon juice and blend well. Leaving a few chunks of strawberries is ideal because having those tart springtime treats in ice cream is yummy!

Remove the contents from your blender and put them in a medium-sized bowl. Then, add the white sugar and the heavy whipping cream. Here in Canada, that’s the 35% cream they sell. You can use lower-fat milk or cream, but the cream brings that luxurious mouthfeel to the ice cream. 

Once you’ve blended the heck out of the ice cream, the white sugar will be dissolved. If it’s not, you will have grittiness in the ice cream. Fill the pint with the Ninja® CREAMi to the max fill line. I have made this recipe more than once and always end up with a slight bit leftover. Don’t throw that out. Put it in the fridge covered. You can top up your pint again with it later. Or, if you prefer, fill two pints halfway to start. 

The simple ingredients in the recipe are so harmonious when blended that even non-strawberry lovers will enjoy it. 

After the 24-hour freeze time recommended by the manufacturer:

  1. Remove the pint from the freezer.
  2. Remove the lid and scrape any lumps or bumps so the ice cream is entirely level.
  3. Assemble the lid assembly and slip the pint into the outer pint holder.
  4. Attach the lid with a churning blade, then place the bowl assembly in the Ninja® CREAMi ice cream maker as the instruction manual directs. 

Press the start button to begin the ice cream function and full pint churn. The Ninja® CREAMi machine does the rest of the work for you. Remember, if it’s going around a second time, you may need to refreeze for a bit to keep it from being too melted. This great flavor has a deep flavor that beats all store-bought ice cream varieties. 

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Ingredients:

Fresh Strawberries: This recipe used fresh, sweet strawberries because they are easier to work with than frozen ones. Frozen rhubarb: I used last season’s frozen rhubarb because it was convenient. When freezing rhubarb for baking or ice cream, mix the smaller pink stalks with thicker tarter stalks. Cut them into half-inch pieces and remove the air from the freezer bag. Frozen rhubarb lasts for up to six to nine months in the freezer. Ice crystals that form can be rinsed off under hot water. 

Corn Syrup: This ingredient helps prevent ice crystallization. The sugar molecules cannot bond together, resulting in a smoother consistency. 

Lemon Juice: The acid in lemon juice enhances the flavor of the strawberries and rhubarb. It also softens the ice cream, creating a smoother texture. 

White Sugar: This is, of course, to sweeten the ice cream to the right sweetness. Using white sugar in your ice cream recipes is also very economical. 

Heavy Whipping Cream: The high-fat content of the whipping cream luxuriously enhances both mouthfeel and flavor. It also wraps the ice crystals during churning, creating a smooth and creamy texture. 

served churned strawberry rhubarb ice cream

Substitutions, Add-Ins, and Variations For This Strawberry Rhubarb Ice Cream. 

Fresh Strawberries: If you don’t have fresh strawberries, you can work with frozen ones. I recommend allowing them to thaw completely before mixing them in the blender. If you want the best strawberries and rhubarb but need help finding where to look, check your local farmers’ market in the springtime. 

Frozen Rhubarb: Fresh rhubarb, when in season, would also work for this recipe. Chopped rhubarb should be cut when pink for a sweeter flavor. If you want tarter rhubarb flavor, go for large green stalks. 

Corn Syrup: This recipe uses corn syrup as a texture enhancer. If you are against using it, you can omit it, but you may notice more ice crystallization. Alternatively, try another texture enhancer like honey, agave, golden syrup, inverted sugar, or glycerin. 

Lemon Juice: This fresh-squeezed juice can be replaced with Realemon or omitted altogether. Rhubarb is so tart that the resulting ice cream will only slightly vary in flavor. 

White Sugar: This is the sweetener in the recipe. You can play around with other sweeteners if you wish, but I recommend, for simplicity, sticking to the white sugar. I thought that it was a lot when I made the ice cream for the first time using the Ninja® CREAMi instructions, but what I discovered was because this homemade ice cream is so ultra-luxurious and decadent, you consume a fair bit less vs. a store-bought ice cream that is all whipped air. Even the best store-bought ice creams can be consumed in higher volume without the same satisfaction you get from home churned. 

Heavy Whipping Cream: As stated above, I used 35% cream to make this recipe. Dairy that is higher fat will result in smoother ice cream as the fat coats the ice crystals. You can use low-fat milk or dairy products with less fat milk content if you prefer. You can make this recipe with a non-dairy creamer. However, there may be better choices than a coconut cream, as rhubarb is tart. Test out something more neutral, like almond or oat milk. 

Add-Ins: You can omit the rhubarb and use other fresh berries in the recipe to create new and exciting flavors. Alternatively, use only strawberries to make a great Ninja® CREAMi Strawberry ice cream, as found in the manual from the deluxe machine. You can also scoop out the center of the homemade strawberry ice cream and add some mini white or milk chocolate chips for a strawberry chocolate chip ice cream. 

served churned strawberry rhubarb ice cream (2)

Expert Tips, Serving, and Storing Suggestions For Your Ice Cream:

Tip #1: Freeze on the level. You must level the ice cream mixture before churning if the pint isn’t level. 

Tip #2: Don’t overfill. The Ninja® CREAMi pint has a max fill line. Don’t exceed it, as it can break your ice cream machine. 

Tip #3: Follow Instructions In Manual. To get the best results with your churn, follow the instructions in your ice cream maker’s manual. 

This strawberry rhubarb ice cream is delicious in a cone or waffle bowl. Serve a scoop of the sweet delight of hot, fresh waffles for a decadent summer breakfast idea! 

Remember, ice cream without preservatives will only be in the freezer for two weeks. You likely won’t have any issue enjoying this vibrant flavor immediately, though, as it has the perfect balance of flavor and sweetness. 

When storing ice cream in the freezer, put a piece of wax or parchment paper on the surface to prevent ice crystals from forming. 

If you’ve tried this strawberry rhubarb ice cream using a different churn, I would love to hear how it turned out! Be sure to send us your best ice cream flavor ideas so we can see them featured on the blog. Please leave a comment below.

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Easy Strawberry Rhubarb Churned Ice Cream In Ninja Creami

Amber Bondar
This easy churned strawberry rhubarb ice cream is made in the Ninja Creami although you can churn in any ice cream churn. The tasty refreshing tart ice cream has the perfect balance of sweetness to make this luxurious homemade frozen treat ideal for hot summer days!
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 1 day
Course Dessert, Snack
Cuisine American, Canadian
Servings 4

Equipment

  • 1 Medium Mixing Bowl
  • 1 Tablespoon
  • 1 Teaspoon
  • Ninja Creami Pint With Lid
  • Ice Cream Churn
  • Whisk For Mixing

Ingredients
  

  • 2 Cups Strawberries
  • 2 Cups Frozen Rhubarb Chopped
  • Tbsp Corn Syrup
  • Tsp Lemon Juice
  • ¾ Cup White Sugar
  • Cup Heavy Cream 35%

Instructions
 

  • In the blender, food processor or bowl with masher/immersion blender. Combine the fruit with corn syrup and lemon juice.
  • Mash or blend until finely chopped.
  • Add the mixture to a medium mixing bowl and add the white sugar and heavy cream.
  • Blend until the white sugar is dissolved.
  • Pour into the Ninja Creami pint to the max fill line and place lid on pint.
  • Put ice cream mixture in the freezer on level surface.
  • Freeze for 24 hrs. Remove from freezer and remove lid from pint.
  • Use spoon to scrap the surface flat.
  • Place pint in the bowl assembly and follow manufacturers instructions for mixing.
  • Mix twice if mixture is crumbly after first churn.
  • Place back in the freezer if mixture is too soft for one hour.
  • Scoop and serve.
Keyword dessert, ice cream, rhubarb, strawberry
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